Sinnonhyeon café, 3rd-floor indoor seat and nunetine: Upper and Under

I had an appointment in Gangnam, so after lunch I wanted to grab a coffee and rest a bit. Upper and Under is right between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, so it's easy to get to, plus it has a terrace and is known for its cream lattes — so I stopped by.

At some point I started automatically looking for cream latte menus whenever I go to a café haha. I'd heard Upper and Under was famous for theirs, so I went to check it out.

Where Upper and Under is and when it opens

• 📍Location: 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰Hours: 11:00 ~ 22:00
• 🚗Parking: Not available
• 🚇Transit: Within 5 min walk of Sinnonhyeon Exit 6 / within 8 min walk of Gangnam Station Exit 11

A whole building between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations

Upper and Under sits right between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations, making it convenient to stop by after a meal when I have plans in Gangnam. The whole building is used as café space, so it turned out to be bigger than I expected.

Across the three floors, the mood shifts a bit floor by floor, and there's a terrace space too — it looked like a nice spot to enjoy coffee outdoors on a nice day.

I ordered and picked up on the 2nd floor, and browsed the desserts to go with my drink.

What to order from the Upper and Under dessert menu

It's not just a coffee café — there's a whole lineup of desserts, from cakes to financiers, canelés, and madeleines, so it was fun picking one.

I'd already had lunch, but there's no giving up on dessert, right haha. There were several kinds of cake, and after a long debate I went with the raspberry cake. I couldn't stop at just one baked good, either, so I added nunetine (a layered wafer-cream cookie) and a pistachio financier. For drinks: an americano and a pistachio cream latte!

What the third-floor indoor seats are like

After ordering, we headed up to the 3rd floor to find a table. It had gotten a little cooler out, so some people were sitting on the terrace, but we wanted to stay a bit cooler, so we chose an indoor seat. Since it connects to the terrace, though, sitting indoors still felt open rather than closed in.

There's a big tree in front of the café, so despite being right in the middle of Gangnam, it had a nice green atmosphere. With the terrace and the tree together, it was a pretty spot for photos, and it seemed like a good place to chat leisurely on a date, too.

How the americano and pistachio cream latte taste

I started with the americano — it had a mild acidity and a bit of bitterness, making it clean and easy to drink.

And then the pistachio cream latte I'd been looking forward to! The cream on top was softer and fluffier than the thick, dense type I usually like, but the nutty pistachio flavor came through subtly, and it was delicious.

The soft cream and coffee together worked better than I expected. Since I'm currently obsessed with cream lattes, this one was very satisfying haha.

Raspberry cake, nunetine and pistachio financier

What I liked best that day, surprisingly, was the raspberry cake.

It had that distinct raspberry tartness, while the cake itself was moderately sweet, so it paired well with coffee. The cream in particular was soft and delicious, and I loved the combination of sweet-tart raspberry with the cream.

I'd worried that having cake right after lunch would be too much, but it was so good my hand kept reaching for more haha. The financier had a soft, fluffy texture that went well with coffee and also matched nicely with the pistachio cream latte.

In the end I ended up sampling a bit of everything haha.

Is Upper and Under a good date café in Gangnam?

There are so many cafés in Gangnam, but if you're looking for a place to sit back and enjoy coffee and dessert after a meal, Upper and Under seems like a solid choice.

It's easy to find, sitting between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, and the café is spacious enough that it never felt cramped. I especially loved the atmosphere of the terrace surrounded by greenery — on a nice day, drinking coffee out there would be great. Beyond coffee, there's a wide range of desserts too — cake, financiers, canelés — perfect for people like me who can't skip dessert even after a full meal haha. Great atmosphere, good drinks and desserts — Upper and Under is a Sinnonhyeon Station café worth stopping by when you have plans in Gangnam.